Unexpected Encounters
by Novalo Typo
Summary: If you walk alone on an empty path, you'll never know who you're going to meet. Most encounters are unexpected. What if the son of Hades wasn't as lonely as everybody thought he was?
1. Chapter 1

Nico di Angelo really didn't feel like talking to Lym.

Ever since he got… infatuated with Percy, the daughter of Aphrodite could tell that something was up.

"Listen, Nico," she had said a few weeks back, her voice calm yet sweet. "Heartsickness isn't healthy. Find some tea, get a few nice cookies, and talk it out. If he dumps you, you'll be hurt, but you'll be cured." It was her usual tea-cookies advice. Then she smiled and cocked her head to the side, her blue eyes crinkling in amusement and her black hair draped over her right shoulder. Lym couldn't charmspeak, but she was damn convincing. But still...

Yeah. No thanks, bye.

Giving a deep, sad sigh, Nico slumped into his makeshift bed of leaves and branches. He thought after Percy disappeared that he could finally move on, find someone new, and live a normal demigod life.

Apparently the Fates really hated him.

Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon, had randomly shown up at Camp Jupiter a few days ago.

He looked tired, but still radiated an aura of power. He smelled like salt and water, like the ocean. His green eyes were less focused - probably due to his amnesia. Even with the majority of his memories gone, his shoulders were broad and up, displaying a proud demigod that would take on any challenge he was given. Either way, Nico missed him.

And for some reason, Lym called him.

Nico sighed as his cell phone ran again in his pocket. Looking at the number, he shook his head and picked it up, eyes weary from lack of sleep. "What is it, Lym?"

"_Nico... darling, what happened?"_

The son of Hades groaned at the girl's tone of voice. "Nothing, Lym. Go back to sleep."

"_Tell me what fucking happened or else I'll send my hounds out to rip your stupid-ass face into pieces."_

Lym Archer. Certainly one of the more foul-mouthed daughters of Aphrodite. She was beautiful, gentle and caring, but when she got angry or frustrated, her tongue could fire vile vocabulary like a gatling gun.

"Listen, Lym," Nico snapped, running a hand through his messy black hair, kicking his legs back and readjusting his position on the leaves. "Can you stop bothering me about Percy?"

"_I knew it!"_

The son of Hades frowned. That had slipped out accidentally, though it didn't really matter. The first time they met at Camp Half-Blood, Nico was surprised. Being a daughter of Aphrodite, nobody expected much from her, but when Lym saw one of the Ares boys teasing him, she whistled, and her deadly hot-pink Love Hounds leapt out of the bushes, chasing the screaming camper across the strawberry fields. Afterwards, Lym frowned and patted the black-haired boy on the head, giving a charming smile. "Tea usually works for heartbreak," she had said. "And if that doesn't work, try hot cocoa." Then she invited (though leaning toward _dragged_) Nico to have tea. And her sugar cookies were amazing.

Sitting up against the tree, Nico sighed again. Lym knew about how he traveled between camps and most of his personal issues. Nico didn't reveal his secrets easily, but after the son of Hades had stormed out of camp boundaries after being cornered and mocked by the rest of the Aphrodite Cabin (cough cough, Drew), Lym had made a trip out to find him. And when Nico had raised several undead soldiers, she simply walked past them, cutting them down, and pulled the boy into a hug. And that was when Nico discovered that Lym was a great listener and always kept secrets, though she said it was because of something she swore on Styx when she was younger.

And when the son of Hades pushed her away after a few seconds of stunned silence, he received the most painful headbutt he had had ever experienced.

"Di Angelo," Lym had snarled, cracking her knuckles. "You had your moment of pity. Now, you have two choices: stay out here and die or come with me and die." Nico didn't really have a choice. The black-haired girl simply lifted him up above one shoulder and carried him back like a sack of potatoes. Then, when Lym sat him down after dinner and looked him in the eye with curiosity (not hatred, for once), it all came pouring out. The Lotus Casino, Bianca's death, travelling between two camps, how painful it was to be near Percy, how he was afraid he would never fit in... everything. But Lym was different. One of the _only_ people who decided to be different.

"I found Percy, Lym," he explained quietly. "He's at Camp Jupiter."

Silence on the other end.

"_...Did somebody trade him for Jason?"_ Lym asked, voice curious. _"Because this situation seems very similar on both sides."_

"Obviously one the Olympians decided it was a good idea," Nico replied sarcastically, shifting his sword around his waist. When Jason showed up at Camp Half-Blood, Lym instantly realized something was wrong and contacted him. Sure, cell phones were dangerous, but apparently the daughter of Aphrodite really didn't care. "Anyway, Lym, what else do you want? Or are you here just to annoy me?"

Lym snarled on the other side of the phone. _"Nico, you know I have to keep tabs on your emotions. You're super unstable. One little disturbance could break you."_

"I'm the son of Hades," Nico replied angrily, getting frustrated with Lym's insistence on helping. "I'm fine!"

"_You _aren't_ 'fine', Nico di Angelo. You're talking to the best Empathy Link copycat of the century. You might as well be spewing all your secrets out to me. Percy's back and you're scared and alone. You've told me enough; I can figure out the rest by myself."_

"I'm not scared. I'm not afraid of anything!"

"_Is that what you said to Bianca?"_

Nico sucked in a deep breath, the shadows collecting beneath is feet. Lym didn't usually cross the line, but she had just made an exception. "Don't bring up Bianca," the demigod hissed, his voice deadly and quiet. The ground beneath him rumbled slowly, the temperature in the air dropping down at least fifteen degrees.

Lym stayed quiet for a few moments before sighing. _"I crossed the line. I'm sorry. But it doesn't change the fact that Percy's toppling your negative emotions into a giant mess."_

"Percy's... not doing anything!"

"_That's not what my hounds are telling me. They smell heartache, Nico. Did you forget? In fact, I think Minnie's onto your trail. Minnie! Come out!"_

A howl ripped through the air as a hot-pink hunting dog bursted through the bushes, landing on the surprised demigod. Giving a yelp, Nico tried to push the dog off of him. Love Hound drool was not enjoyable to clean up. "Get her off, Lym!" Nico yelled into the phone. Lym laughed on the other end and whistled.

"_Down, Minnie!"_

The hound's pointy ears instantly jerked up. Giving a loud bark, the dog hopped off the demigod, using his face as a springboard, and began circling around him, sniffing the air around him. Wrinkling her nose, Minnie whined and covered her snout with her paws. Nico felt greatly offended. "Lym, your dog thinks I smell bad."

"_Darling, they can smell your jumbled up emotions. You reek."_

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"_You kind of also smell like death, too. Not the best combo."_

Nico groaned as he tried to wipe some of the disgusting dog drool off his jacket. The first time he had met Minnie, she had been no bigger than a poodle. Now, she was a full-grown greyhound - or rather, pinkhoud. And she drooled. A _lot_. There was a giant puddle of her collective pool under her massive paws.

"So your hounds have been stalking me?" Nico asked, disdain in his voice. He knew that Lym would never hurt him, but it still was unnerving, having her hounds on him 24/7.

"_No. They've been _tracking_ you. Nico, darling, you move around way too much."_

"Then here's an idea - leave me alone."

"_Hmm... I can't say I like that idea. In fact, I'll send Lucy with you too."_

"What."

"_Stay still... I'm trying to focus."_

Instantly, Nico hung up and shadow travelled far, far away. He could handle torture, heartache, betrayal - but unexpected encounters from people who actually cared about him?

He couldn't handle it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Son of Hecate, Ytel Nerva**

Another demigod decided to pop in. As if Lym hadn't been bad enough.

"Hello, Nico! I see you're as bright and sunny as ever!"

"You know, I really thought that Hecate stayed away from Hades. Apparently I was wrong."

"Well, Mom wanted me to talk to you, so here I am."

"You're... not a demigod."

"That's right!" The purple-haired child gave a wide smile, brandishing a set of perfect canines. "I'm actually immortal. My mom did it 'cause I was super smart."

Nico frowned. That was a terrible reason. The immortal child in front of him seemed no older than ten, boasting bright purple locks and ruby red eyes. In his left palm, a flickering flame danced, warding off the darkness. Maybe the boy was just one of Hecate's ghost minions. She had a lot of those. Hades did not approve.

"Are you one of Hecate's immortal servants?" Nico asked, a hand on the hilt of his Stygian Iron blade. Hecate was a strange goddess, but she was usually one of the minor goddesses that stayed in the background, watching the battles that happened. But her servants were crazy. She loved ghosts and powerful spirits. Some of them were... not exactly in their right minds.

The boy snapped his fingers, causing the the flame to explode in a small flare before fizzling out. "Bingo! Son of Hades, you're pretty smart. I'm Ytel Nerva, child wizard." Raising an eyebrow, the boy's red eyes shone before shifting into an emerald green. "Or at least, that's what they called me back in the day."

"My dad doesn't enjoy the paperwork you cost him," Nico replied, slowly collecting shadows at his feet, ignoring the Ytel's comments.

"Hecate had good intentions," the boy defended, playing with a ball of lightning instead. "I _was_ a demigod, but after I got killed, she did a bit of magic, healing potion stuff, and bam!" With a clap of his hands, a loud thunderclap boomed through the trees. "Immortality. Hooray."

Nico sighed, shaking his head. "We're getting off topic. Why did Hecate want to talk to me?"

Ytel smiled, showing a set of perfect white canines. "She said something like, 'Tell the son of Hades that his sister will be a great asset in my future plans. She may be placed in great danger, but it is necessary if you wish to retrieve the son of Poseidon and his friend.'"

_Hazel?_

Nico instantly felt a pool of dread in his stomach. First Bianca, now Hazel? Why did all the people he love have to get dragged into such dangerous situations? The shadows, feeling his pain, began collecting in masses around his feet, swirling dangerously.

With a snap, the purple-haired spirit caused a violent flash of light, creating a loud exploding noise. Nico gave a yelp of pain as he quickly covered his eyes, turning away from the light. His eyes weren't made for light. They were made for navigating through the dark.

After the light dimmed down, the black-haired demigod rubbed away the black spots invading his vision. "What in Tartarus's name was that?" He demanded, unsheathing his sword. Ytel smiled again, rubbing his small hands together.

"That, dear Nico di Angelo, was a simulation of a flash bang. It dispels all shadows for a short amount of time. Don't want you Shadow Travelling away from me, do we?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, great idea." Nico snarled as the shadows began enveloping him in a shadowy fabric, preparing to send him to somewhere far, far away.

The spirit raised an eyebrow. "No, not such a great idea." With a stomp of his neon green sneakers, the shadows that were supposed to be working _with_ Nico turned against him, grabbing his arms, legs, torso, and pinned him to the ground. As his head smashed against the ground, the demigod gave a gasp, clenching his teeth in pain, struggling to see straight.

"Sorry, Nico," Ytel frowned jokingly, giving a mock shrug. "But I wanted to leave you with a little... parting gift, let's call it." Sitting down on a nearby boulder, the spirit twirled his finger, and a music box appeared out of nowhere. Grabbing the wooden box, the boy gave the handle several spins, and after a while, it began playing a quiet yet sad melody.

Nico's eyes widened as the melody began playing back in his head. It seemed... painfully familiar...

Ytel sighed and turned with a sad smile. "Recognize it, _Soldatino_?"

The son of Hades' breath hitched in his throat. _Bianca..._

"It's a lullaby," Ytel explained gently, slowly unraveling the shadowy bonds that had trapped Nico down. "From Italian, it translates into 'toy soldier', doesn't it?"

Nico didn't even notice the shadows had released him. The lullaby... it was the lullaby that Bianca used to sing to him when he was young. Whenever nightmares haunted him, the warm, _alive_ arms of his older sister would wrap around him, whispering the lyrics beside his ear.

But that was when she had been alive. When Nico could laugh alongside her, cry into her arms, or hug her when he was alone. And now there was no one. Where Bianca once stood was a gaping hole of unfilled space in his heart. Hazel tried her best to be a caring sister - which she was - but ever time Nico turned to face her, Bianca's face would come to the surface, causing him to flinch away. And Percy... he was like the older brother that Nico never had. Always there, kind, helpful, and caring. But the son of Poseidon didn't realize how much pain he was causing Nico. Every time he saw Percy with Annabeth, happiness beaming off of his face, he felt like he was slowly breaking down, piece by piece. It was like a downward spiral toward insanity.

"Look, Nico," Ytel said, catching the demigod's attention. The spirit could see the sadness and pain etched across Nico's face. "I've been there."

The son of Hades turned with a confused frown. "What?"

"There's a reason I was called a wizard," Ytel explained slowly. "It was because I could use magic. I didn't know I was Hecate's kid, and in Europe, when they see a kid with magic, they automatically assume that they're a devil incarnate."

Nico's eyes widened a little.

"So, there I was - a simple child, born into a world where the entirety of its inhabitants wanted me dead. Day after day, I was running, stealing, sometimes even killing - all for the sake of surviving in this unfair world. Nobody was ever there for me. Except for one person." Ytel's eyes shifted to a pale grey as his pupils bore into Nico's. "A girl, not much older than me, who picked me off the streets."

Nico could tell where the story was going.

"Her name was Elizabeth. She didn't care how red my eyes were, she didn't care that I could make fire with a snap, she didn't care that everybody else hated me. She loved me, and that was enough." A haunted look glazed over Ytel's eyes before he shook it off and continued. "I finally found a person who could hug me without trying to stab a knife through my back."

Slowly sitting up, the son of Hades lowered his head.

"But one day, when we were staying in a church to hide for the night, the villagers found us." The purple-haired spirit swallowed, cranking the music box again. "They saw me use my magic to protect Elizabeth from bandits, and had assumed I was trying to kill her." An angry fire lit around Ytel's feet, but quickly was diminished by a layer of water. "They cornered us in the church and yelled for Elizabeth to get away from me. She didn't."

Nico slowly started to realize what Ytel was trying to do all along.

"And so, the villagers assumed she was a worshiper of the Devil, however foolish that was. They attacked her before me, assuming that if they killed her, I would disappear because I 'didn't have any worshippers'. But before Elizabeth was caught, she told me to set fire to the entire church. Blow it up if I had to. Anything that would let me have another chance to run away and start all over again. And I did."

The shadows slowly receded back into their normal positions, the moon still high above their heads.

"That night, I razed an entire village to the ground. Nothing survived - nothing. Not even me."

Silence reigned as the two sat, waiting for someone to speak up.

"Soldatino indeed," Nico whispered, standing and walking over to Ytel, his hand extended. The spirit cracked a humorless smile and shook hands, exchanging silent messages. _I understand._

"Well, here's the gift," Ytel said cheerfully, snapping his fingers. The music box shrank down to a small pocket watch emblazoned with the symbol of Hecate on the lid. "Your personal music box. Keep it close, Soldatino, and maybe you can find the True Ending."

Nico didn't even get to ask what he meant before Ytel disappeared in a flash of light.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Daughter of Selene, Luna Nik**

"Good morning."

Nico's eyes snapped open as he unsheathed his sword, grabbing the throat of whoever spoke. Pinning them to a rock, he realized the shiny black blade was pressed against the neck of a girl, about the same age as himself. Narrowing his eyes, Nico relaxed his grip but kept eye contact. "Who are you?" He demanded.

The girl raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Using her hand, she grabbed the Stygian Iron blade with her bare hand and forced it away from her neck, causing a large gash on her palm. Nico's eyes widened as he quickly realized his sword was cutting into the girl's hand.

"Good morning," she repeated, dropping her bleeding hand. "I'm Luna Nik. Hello."

"What's wrong with you?" Nico furrowed his eyebrows, eyes glued onto the bleeding wound.

Luna shrugged again, her silvery hair draped across her shoulders. Her blank eyes stared into Nico's, and for a moment, a flicker of unease misted over her eyes. "You're Nico di Angelo," she replied, voice monotone. "I've heard about you from Ytel."

Nico's eyes widened as he sheathed his sword, still wary of the girl. Her empty eyes, her reaction - or lack thereof - to pain, her unnatural hair colour... there was something very strange about the girl. "You know Ytel?" He asked, trying to fish out some information."

Luna nodded, sitting down on a nearby tree stump. She frowned as she examined her bleeding hand, pulling out a strip of white cloth and wrapping it around the cut. "I do," she confirmed. "Ytel's my messenger. I don't like going out into the world, so he comes and we talk. Have tea. Stuff like that."

Nico's ears perked at Luna's words. "What do you mean by 'outside world'?" He inquired, leaning in closer, almost tripping over a rock. It was only then that he actually paid attention to his surroundings.

Currently, the two were located in a beautiful cave-like dome. The walls were completely coated with crystals, all of different colours, and Nico could easily see that rubies and emeralds glimmered along with opal and amethyst. Blocks of Imperial Gold, Celestial Bronze, and - _was that Stygian Iron? _- littered the walls, filling in cracks. In the middle of cave, there was a small pond with water so clear that the bottom was completely visible - it was like a mirror, reflecting off light from a circular opening at the top of the dome. The ground wasn't rocky like it was supposed to be - instead, grass and flowers grew wildly, along with several fruits and vegetables in one corner.

"This," Luna waved her hand, gesturing to the area behind her, "is my humble abode. Welcome."

Nico stared at the pond for a few moments before snapping back into the conversation. "That didn't answer my question," he growled. "Where is this?"

The silver-haired girl frowned. "I have no idea. Ytel suggested this place to me, so here I am."

The son of Hades looked around. Since Ytel was a demigod - or, at least, _used_ to be, he could use his magic to carve out something in the mountains. And considering the fact that he was immortal, even a small child like Ytel would be capable of creating a dome covered in Mist, safe from any intruders.

Luna stared as Nico mumbled words under his breath, clearing lost in thought. Standing, the silver-haired girl clapped her hands, and a violent beam of moonlight shot down from the hole in the dome, striking down on her knees, and with a gentle _pop!_ a picnic basket appeared.

Nico had scrambled back, his hand on the hilt of his blade. What had just happened? Was Luna... a demigod? "How did you do that?" He demanded, slowly backing up.

Giving a shrug, Luna flipped open the basket and pulled out a giant sandwich. Nico tried to look away from the food, but the bacon and cheese really got to him. The girl caught his line of sight and smiled, finally giving away a legitimate emotion on her face.

"There's plenty to go around." Snapping her fingers, another beam of moonlight flashed through the opening, dropping down several pitchers of juice. "So, orange, apple, or lemonade?"

Nico served himself. Needless to say, he was starving after Shadow Traveling away from Lym Archer and Ytel, and food - good, edible, actual food - was very, very welcome in his stomach. It wasn't soon before he had devoured an entire sandwich. When he looked up and saw Luna's surprised expression, he frowned. "What?" Nico asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Usually people breath in between bites," she replied, slowly and flatly. "But you really don't care, do you?"

"My need for food is stronger than my need for air," Nico shot back as he snatched another sandwich - eggs, bacon, some meat and some sauce, he realized as he shoved it in his mouth, thankful for the lack of greens.

"Ah, right. I didn't introduce myself completely." Luna seemed completely absentminded as she poured herself a cup of lemonade. "I'm a demigod. Daughter of Selene."

Nico almost choked on his sandwich and pounded on his chest several times to get his airway clear. "You're _what?_" He shouted, eyes wide and disbelieving. Selene had faded away due to lack of worshipers after the Romans conquered Greece. Artemis was given all of Selene's duties... right?

"Before you ask, no, I'm not immortal." Luna seemed to be able to tell what Nico was thinking and answered the question before he could even ask. Kicking back her legs, the girl leaned back on a tree. "The children of Selene are flowers when conceived."

All Nico could muster out dumbly was, "huh?"

Luna looked amused as she continued. "Selene created these flowers - Moon Fiore. The children of Selene were technically created in the the flower, but in the petals, time never progressed, so until the day that the flower withered, the child inside the flower wasn't actually born. Instead, the first beam of moonlight on a full moon has to strike the flower for a full hour before the flower actually withers and spits out the demigod baby."

Nico stared blankly. "Athena's kids are less complicated than that," he managed to slur out. Then, thinking for a while, he added, "then, did the moonlight only hit your flower fifteen years ago?"

"Fourteen," Luna corrected, then went on. "Yes. And... well, unfortunately, my super-delayed birth lead to some drastic changes in my body." Lifting up her bloody hand, the demigod reached into her pocket and pulled out a sharp needle-like blade. Without hesitation, she stabbed it into the wound, not even flinching in the process. Nico could only stare in shock.

"What do you think you're doing?" He shouted, slapping the knife out of Luna's hand. The silver-haired demigod shrugged, poking at the blood some more.

"You see, because of the fluid inside the flower that kept me alive all those years after Selene faded, my sense of touch and pain went away as well." Luna snapped her fingers, and the bloodied cloth disappeared only to be replaced by a fresh bundle. Wrapping the cloth around the wound again, she looked up at the son of Hades. "Also, it's not visible now, but I have heterochromia."

"The discolouration of the eyes?" Nico asked, though his mind still couldn't completely process the fact that there was a demigod who couldn't feel any pain whatsoever. It must've been a blessing and a curse. No sense of feeling at all...

"It only happens when I use my powers," Luna replied. As a demonstration, she cupped her hands together, closing her eyes. Slowly, silver-hued light began to gather around her palms, and as she moved her hands apart, the form of a flower appeared, and with it, a miniature borealis played out in her hands, colouring the image with purples, blues, greens, and silver. When Luna opened her eyes, Nico could see that one of her eyes was yellow while the other one remained silver. With a clap of the hands, the entire image faded, along the the yellow in her left eye. The demigod looked up with a smug smile. "Pretty cool, right?"

Nico nodded, trying not to look surprised. As he began to stand, the pocket watch that Ytel had given him slipped out of his pocket. It fell onto the grass, and before he could pick it up, Luna picked it off the ground, eyes glued into the cover.

"_Soldatino Giocattolo,"_ Luna whispered under her breath, catching Nico's attention. Her silver eyes glanced up at the son of Hades. "Ytel never told me you were Bianca's younger brother."

At the mention of Bianca's name, Nico was completely absorbed into the new conversation. "Bianca," he repeated, as if trying to process the information. "Bianca. You said her name. How do you know her?"

Luna gestured to the pool of clear water. "The pool over there - it's called _Specchio_ - _mirror_ in Italian. It has healing properties, so firstly, I can stab myself as many times as I want, but if I get thrown into that pool, it'll be like nothing happened. And secondly..." Turning to face Nico, Luna's glazed eyes locked onto Nico's dark pupils. "Every time a full moon shines down onto the pool, a spirit gets to use it as a gateway to the mortal world. They can't leave the pool, but I can talk to them." With a small hum of satisfaction, Luna threw the pocket watch back. Nico caught it, face blank of expression.

"Then Bianca..."

"Yes. Bianca di Angelo was indeed one of my conversationalists."

"And..." Nico took a deep breath, struggling to breath. "Did... did she say anything?"

"She did. She said a lot, actually. In fact, she gave my the lyrics to an entire song." Pointing to the silver pocket watch, Luna made a clicking motion with her fingers. "There should be a button on the side of the watch. Press it."

Nico obliged.

Instantly, a music score shone from the watch, displaying two music staves, like a piano synthesia. Eyes widened as Nico heard the music again, but this time, words slowly appeared as they were sung, circling around him in lines and verses. Tears began to prickle at his eyes as Bianca's gentle voice began to sing.

"_Close your eyes_

_I know what you see_

_The darkness is high_

_And you're in ten feet deep_

_But we've survived_

_More terrible monsters than sleep_

_And you know I will be here_

_To tell you to breath..."_

"She's a very caring sister," Luna said soothingly, eyes averted from Nico's trembling figure. Reaching her bloodied hand outward, the demigod closed her eyes. "All she wanted was for you to be safe."

"_Tu sei il mio soldatino_

_La ragione per cui vivo_

_Non ti scordar di me_

_Io veglierò su di te..."_

"She wanted you to be happy. She wanted you to be able to smile and have fun, side by side with your friends." Luna smiled as she spoke, eyes still closed as Nico clutched the pocket watch closer to himself, shoulders shaking.

"_Stumbling lost_

_The last choice of all that you meet_

_It's the cost_

_Of ruling those 'neath your feet_

_Paths you've crossed_

_And trust you're trying to keep_

_You're exhausted_

_Listening for a voice that can't speak..._

_Ma nico, mio caro"_

"I can't think of anyone more fit to be your sister," Luna continued. "In such an unfair world, you have to have someone who can keep you from falling over. Bianca was that person." Nico refused to look up, tears beginning to fall from his eyes and onto the ground.

"_Tu sei il mio soldatino_

_La ragione ho vissuto_

_Non ti scordar di me_

_Io veglierò su di te..."_

"She wanted you to be free. Free from the Underworld, free from all your responsibilities, free from those who tried to hurt you." Luna smiled as Nico nodded, rubbing the tears out of his eyes, giving small sniffles. That was the lullaby. _His _lullaby. Just as he was about to close the watch, Luna held up her hand.

"_So you run_

_Through shadows you roam_

_Seams undone_

_By the love you though you could own_

_But he's just one_

_Of many that you might call home_

_And maybe someday_

_The bitter will fade from your bones_

_Fade from your bones"_

Nico's eyes widened. That hadn't been part of the song before. Then... had Bianca...?

The silver-eyed demigod sighed contently to the soothing melody. "I think she finished the song for you, Nico. She's been watching over you. She knows how much you've been suffering."

"_Eri il mio soldatino_

_Ora un principe oscuro_

_Ma anche per te, c'è una luce_

_Che ad un' altra vita ti conduce..."_

Luna frowned as the song finished, opening her eyes. The moonlight from the the night sky had slowly faded, and dawn was approaching quickly. Sighing sadly, the demigod turned and closed the watch for the shocked son of Hades.

"The sun has risen," Luna said, shaking her head. "And with it, your presence here has come to its limit. Goodbye, Nico di Angelo. Keep fighting. All roads must eventually lead to life."

And with that, everything went black.


End file.
